"I don't think that's any better than the first one," I grumble, looking at the latest piece of art that hangs above my daughter's bed. Unlike the original, it wasn't obscene but at the same time, should Sam really be giving Martha things like this? "Why couldn't he give you something normal, like a landscape painting?"

Martha shrugs her good shoulder and brings her morning mug of coffee up to her lips. She takes it black with one sugar in the morning, just like my sister May does. It's strange how she's picked up habits like that from various people in my family, considering she didn't spend that much time with them really. "I think it's nice. Artistic," Martha comments. Taking that as the end of the conversation because, just like her mother, Martha likes to have the last word, she leaves the bedroom of her mews house and starts to make her way towards the main house. "Anyway, I'm an adult-"

"Ha! No, you are not," I stop her words immediately. "You're seventeen. You're not an adult."

"I will be by the end of the month," my daughter takes pleasure in torturing me with that information. Once she's eighteen, she won't be a child any longer; she'll be my kid, but she won't be a kid. If that makes sense. I honestly wish that instead of turning eighteen, she reverts back to being a baby. Benjamin Button style. She holds the mug in the hand of her arm that's still in a sling while looping her other arm through the crook of my elbow. She rests her cheek on my shoulder and sighs. "Have you spoken more to mum about the party?"

I shake my head. "No."

Whereas Lottie had forgiven me about the whole Alyssa thing, Martha was still cold about it. She would mention it or ask about the situation every now and then but it never felt like she took a genuine interest in knowing anything about the party. Whenever Alyssa texts her about it, Martha deletes it. If Alyssa calls, Martha sends it straight to voicemail. Yesterday, Alyssa tried to corner her a the gallery after work but Martha went out the back way, smuggled out in Sam's car. 

Martha, while she was excited about the prospect of having a party, didn't want one if Alyssa had anything to do with it. I hadn't spoken to Alyssa in a few days but whenever I did, it was strictly to do with Martha's party. We couldn't agree on the finer details, like the venue, guest list... well, we couldn't agree on a single thing. As far as I was concerned, if Martha turned around right now and said that she didn't want anything to do with the party, I would take her side and tell Alyssa where to go.

From the amount of times I've had to defend Alyssa to everyone, I've heard every single opinion of the woman going and although at times I would stick up for her actions, yesterday's conversation with my mother was proof that maybe I needed to open my eyes a little wider. 

"Good. What exactly did gran tell you to make you change your mind?" Martha asks. She opens the door to head into the house and walks to the kitchen, looking over her shoulder at me with a knowing smirk. I hadn't told her about mine and my mother's conversation, so I had to wonder how Martha knew about it. I think the question was written on my face. "I'm omniscient. I know everything."

I laugh. "Well, that's the definition of omniscient. Did my mother phone you?"

Martha shakes her head as she drains her coffee mug and looks the other way. That's enough confirmation for me to know that my assumptions were true. Honestly, my mother cannot take any directions from anyone. 

I knew as soon as I saw the word MUM flash up on my screen yesterday that I shouldn't have answered it. For some reason, most of our phone calls end with one of us being supremely annoyed by and with the other. Of course, this call was no different. Someone had told her about Alyssa being in London and wanting to plan Martha's party and naturally, she wanted to give her opinion on the matter. 

To my disappointment, Mum was absolutely right in everything she said. I would never admit that to anyone but when she started to lecture me about my past experiences with Alyssa, I finally understood what everyone else had been saying. There's something about hearing the truth from your mum that drums it into you more than the previous times. 

"Isaac, this is a shitshow clusterfuck," Mum roared down the line at me. Even as I held the handset at arm's length, I could still hear her Aussie twang perfectly. "I don't think you quite understand where we're all coming from here, so I'll be direct. It's like watching a car wreck in slow motion where you know it's going to end up in a huge fucking mess but you can't do anything to stop it because the wheels are in motion. Now, listen to me, you ungrateful little arsehole-"

"How am I being an ungrateful arsehole?" I remember being furious by this point and was practically growling the words to my mum. It was at moments like that I was glad it was midday and I was the only one home. I simmered down and hung my head in defeat. "Ok, say what you need to say, Mum. Get it over with."

"Isaac, think about your family in all this," Mum begged me. Her voice was quiet, pleading as she spoke to me. "I don't mean myself, your dad, or your sisters. I'm talking about Martha, Charlotte and your baby. Alyssa is your past, honey. Please, leave her there. If you don't, you may be ruining the best thing that's ever happened to you. You're in love, you have a baby on the way and you finally have Martha with you. You don't owe that woman a thing. She's like a disease and she'll infect every part of your family until one day, you'll wake up and you'll realise that she ruined everything. I've seen you heartbroken before, Isaac, and as a mother, it's horrible. Imagine watching Martha going through all of that. How would you feel? Now, imagine having to watch her go through that pain time and again. I'm too drained to go through this again. Stop this nonsense before it's too late."

See what I mean about her being right?

Putting myself in my mother's position, I knew that if anyone pulled that kind of crap on Martha, I would hunt that person down and kill them. If someone broke her heart by cheating on her, I'd be furious. If someone lied to them, changed their whole life for nothing, I would castrate them. If they dragged her to hell and back tens of times, beating her down and stripping away her identity each time, I would curse them to hell and make sure that they never had peace again. That person's life wouldn't be worth living for what they did to Martha. 

"Martha, has anyone ever broken your heart?" I ask, wondering if there was already a person who I should maim. When Martha nods without having to pause and think, I feel my hands curling into fists and my shoulders tense. "Who?"

"Alyssa," she answers. A sad smile ghosts its way onto her lips and she blinks rapidly. Her wall goes down briefly and I see my daughter at her most vulnerable. "Every time she took me away from you. I needed my daddy."

Without saying a word, I cautiously make my way to her and wrap my arms around her shoulder, enveloping her in a tight hug. I keep her there in my embrace for as long as possible but even then, for me, it's not long enough. It'll never be long enough; it'll never make up for all those years that I should have been there, that I should have been her daddy. Yes, Alyssa had allowed my glimpses into Martha's life but I was always just on the periphery. A father in name only. I wanted and I deserved more than that. 

"You know how your birthday is only a few weeks away?" I whisper, still holding onto my daughter tightly. I feel her nod against my chest. "Well, how about I start treating you like an adult right now and you get to make your own decisions? I won't disagree with you. Tell me, do you want Alyssa to organise a party for you?"

Martha scoffs, a sign that her wall has gone back up. "Are you lit? No!"

I'm not quite sure what 'are you lit?' means but I think it's the same as 'are you high?' Regardless, I got my answer and that was all I needed. Kissing Martha's temple, I move away from her to see Lottie stood in the doorway, wiping a nonexistent tear from her cheek. For a woman who gets emotional over unemotional things, she's being very unemotional about a very emotional thing. 

"That was super cute," she comments, a face splitting smile on her lips. "But I agree with Martha. No."

I nod, taking on board both women's opinions. "In that case, I think I have a phone call to make. While I do that, Martha, come up with an idea about what you really want to do for your birthday." I'm barely out the door when I hear Martha say that she wants to go and spend a week at Sam's villa in Ibiza. That stopped me in my tracks immediately. "No. Absolutely fucking not. I forbid it. I'll lock you in the cellar before that happens."

"I was joking," Martha tells me with a dramatic roll of her eyes. She winks in Lottie's direction, almost as if they had conspired to give me a heart attack. "I want a small, intimate family dinner, that's all. Us three, gran and gramps, aunt Alice and May, and the Delaney's, including Sam and Evie and Evie's family. Maybe even the Petite crew. I could ask Nick and his friends to come. You can finally meet Nick. You'll like him. It'll be fun."

With the idea sparked in her mind, Martha wanders off back towards her house. No doubt she's planning all the intricate details for the party, coming up with silly things that will cost me all my life savings. Daughters are very expensive. 

"How is asking all those extra people over for dinner considered small and intimate?" I wonder out loud, not really to anyone in particular. 

"Oh, come on, Isaac. It'll be fun," Lottie teases me with Martha's words. "You'll get to meet le boyfriend. He's her age, so already he's better than your worst nightmare."

Lottie knows how much I'm paranoid about Sam's intention towards my daughter, although I know he's not really that stupid to go there. He's only doing it to wind me up and unfortunately for me, Martha's in on the game too. At this rate, she's going to put me in an early grave. Meeting her 'boyfriend' isn't at the top of my list of things to do in this lifetime or any other lifetime, but she's been winding me up about this Nick boy for a few weeks now and it's about time I met him. 

Really, I just want to meet him so I can intimidate him and make him rue the day he ever laid eyes on my daughter. I've already got my speech planned out and I've hit the gym harder so my torso is bigger and my shoulders broader than usual. I'm all set for Operation FUCK OFF AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER. 

Lottie doesn't like the name of that plan. I told her I didn't give a shit.

"I don't care if Nick is her age, I don't like the fact that she's dating," I grumble. To avoid continuing the discussion, I pull my phone from my pocket and go to the contact list. Finding Alyssa's number, I hit the dial option and wait. On the fourth ring, a bright 'Hi, Isaac' greets me from the other end. "Uh, hi, Alyssa. So, I have something to say."

Thank you to you all who wished me a happy birthday. I had an awesome day. I even caved in and agreed to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens (I'm not at all a Star Wars kind of person!)

Also, thanks for all the comments about the A/N. They were really funny to read! Almost as funny as the card itself. 

Anyway, nothing exciting happened this week, so this A/N will be short. Have a fun end to your week and I'll see you on Sunday for the next instalment!

Sarah xx